In his game with Adams Kasimdzhanov tries the way to deviate from the main line that is different from the one in the game with Morozevich 10.Ґg5!? [more usual choice is 10.Ґe3 Ґc6 11.f3 with slight advantage] 10...Ґc6 11.Ґxf6 Ґxf6 12.Ґc4 Ґe7 13.Јe2 ¤d7 14.¦fd1 ўh8 15.¤d2 ¤f6 16.a4 g6 17.Ґb3 Јc7 18.a5 ¦ad8 19.¤f1 ¤h5 20.¤e3 Ґg5 21.¤ed5 Јb8І

The b8-square is a poor spot for the queen, White has a better position.

In any Pioneers Palace or DYuSSh(Junior sports school) one was formerly taught that at first one has to finish the development, and then make various maneuvers and pawn breaks... The absence of Soviet chess schooling is obvious; poor English gentleman has to study nuts and bolts of chess theory on practice... And speaking seriously, I think that a regular 13...Ґf5 is really stronger.

14...Ґf5?! Black does not say «B» after having said «A». 14...c5 was a logical continuation of the plan that began on the previous move. The hybrid of two plans turns out to be absolutely unsuccessful.

15.c4! Black took the tension off the center, and white pawns can move freely.

15...Јd6 16.c5! Јd5. It is due to the miscalculation, 16...Јe6 was anyway better.

19...Ґxe4!? Another possibility is 19...¤f6, but the text move is more principled: Black takes the exchange immediately and then tries to open files for his rooks at all costs.

20.fxe4 ¤c7 21.ўg2?! 21.e5 creates a target for attack – 21...Ґe7 22.¤e4 ¤d5, and then f7-f6. I think the strongest move was 21.¤f3!, and if 21...c5, then 22.Ґe3! White does not advance the pawn centre, but tries to fortify it at most.

Now 20...axb4, recommended by Sergey Shipov, is probably best (20...¤xg4?!, which happened in the game, strengthens White's pawn structure; Black's position after that is very difficult) 21.axb4 cxb4 22.cxb4 ¤h7І. Black transfers the knight to f8, releasing the queen from protecting the e6-pawn. In this case White's advantage is minimal.

23.Јd2!!N Everything is very simple – a queen is going to have a date with black king, and other pieces help her a bit. It is amazing, how not the weakest players allow such positions with a light heart. Previously only 23.Ґe3 was played.

This is all theory. Previously White were playing 24.Ґe4 here. White's wish to save rooks is understandable, but he does not want to place himself under the pin.

24.¦xe8+N 24...Јxe8 25.Ґd5=. White has enough compensation for exchange, but with both opponents playing well, the game will end in a draw. However, Topalov made Anand to worry a bit by his utmost inventive and insistent play.

It is amazing that during the first half only the Topalov-Anand game was interesting amongst closed games, but even this one was interesting more because of the middlegame and not the opening. We will see whether this tendency will change in the second half, after which we will sum up the championship.